*** Georges Claude - Inventor of the first neon lamp
The French engineer, chemist and inventor Georges Claude, was the first person to apply an electrical discharge to a sealed tube of neon gas to create a lamp. Georges Claude patented the neon lighting tube on January 19, 1915 - U.S. Patent.
In 1923, Georges Claude and his French company "Claude Neon", introduced neon gas signs to the United States. Neon lighting quickly became a popular fixture in outdoor advertising. Visible even in daylight, people would stop and stare at the first neon signs dubbed "liquid fire."
Source inventors.about.com